Which band released the 2006 alternative album The Crane Wife?

The Decemberists released the 2006 alternative album The Crane Wife.

The Crane Wife was the American band’s sixth studio album and its first release on Capitol Records. It appeared on 3 October 2006 and was inspired in part by the Japanese folk tale “The Crane Wife,” in which a transformed crane becomes a human woman and marries a man.

The album is divided into songs and suites that draw on folk rock, progressive rock, and narrative songwriting. Notable tracks include “The Crane Wife 1 & 2,” “The Crane Wife 3,” “O Valencia!,” and “The Perfect Crime #2.” Its literary themes and long-form structures are characteristic of singer Colin Meloy’s writing.

The title is sometimes mistaken for the name of a song only. “The Crane Wife” refers to the album as a whole, while the record contains separately titled sections of the story. The album was also the first Decemberists release to enter the Billboard 200 top 20.